Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I (HTLV-I) Seroprevalence in Jamaica

An island-wide cohort of 13,260 Jamaicans who applied for food-handling licenses during 1985 and 1986 were tested for antibodies to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I). Demographic and residence history data were linked to geographic and ecologic measures of elevation, rainfall, crop-growing areas, population density, and additional measures of urbanization and correlated with HTLV-I antibody status. By logistic regression analysis (performed separately for men and women), men and women who currently resided at low elevation (less than or equal to 1,000 ft (305 m)) were more likely to be HTLV-I infected than were those residing at high elevation. Men, but not women, who were born in citrus-growing areas were more likely to be HTLV-I infected than were men who were born in other areas. By univariate analysis, there was a significant positive trend of increasing HTLV-I seroprevalence with increasing amount of annual rainfall associated with birthplace and primary residence areas. However, these associations did not remain significant after adjusting for age and sex. These environmental associations raise the possibility of new modes of viral transmission or host response to infection, although they may simply be surrogates for socioeconomic status, breastfeeding habits, or sexual behavior, which are known determinants of HTLV-I zero prevalence.